District and School Accountability

Tennessee’s accountability system has been foundational to driving student growth and school improvements over the last several years. As part of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), department leaders worked with more than 6,000 Tennessee teachers, parents, administrators, students, advocates, and community members over a 16-month period to refine our new district and school accountability model, which was used for the first time in 2018.

The model is built on multiple indicators that make districts and schools successful, including graduation rates; state test scores and student growth data; English learner performance; low chronic absenteeism and out-of-school suspensions; and how ready students are when they graduate, including through having access to early postsecondary opportunities, industry certifications, military readiness and ACT/SAT composites that qualify for the Tennessee HOPE scholarship.